A/N: Here, have an update on the day after Cinco de Mayo!

Chaka spun around, the distressed bird's shrill cry piercing his ears.

More leisurely, Tojo paused at Chaka's flank and quirked an eyebrow. Tojo had tagged along for the morning patrol, and now both lions were determined to return to Pride Rock before the sun could scald their hides. He remarked, "What a set of lungs, huh?"

"Yes." Uneasily, Chaka scanned the tall grass for the source of the squawking. He relaxed slightly when he laid eye on a floundering, angry bird that was beating its wings and striking at something hidden in the grass. Beginning to turn away, Chaka called over the bird's cries, "Snake probably just came too close to its nest and-"

He blinked.

What the...?

While in mid-motion to turn away from the surely unfortunate scene, he had caught in his peripheral vision a dark-furred paw reaching out of the grass to swat at the vicious bird. The paw wasn't terribly large, but Chaka knew it could not... did not... belong to a hyena or a wild dog.

Then the paw vanished and the bird fell silent.

Tojo flinched.

Chaka growled.

I have to check it out... just in case…

"Chaka," Tojo began, "hold on a moment…" The old lion's tone changed then from calming to emphatic. "Stop-"

Chaka was walking towards the uninterrupted, but diminished, shifting of grass when the dark face of a young lion peeked over the grass line. "Natin..." Coldly and absently, the name emerged from Chaka's throat and hit the back of his teeth.

"-Chaka! Stay cal-"

A guttural growl shook Chaka's throat. He started to jog towards Natin, his heart fluttering beneath his ribs like the angry bird he had seen moments before. He guessed it had been killed.

No... this can't be... I have to stop him-

Then, Chaka's eyes widened. His stride faltered for half a second.

"KOVU!" he shouted.

"Stop! Chaka!"

A trail of dust met Tojo's futile warnings, his words drowned out by Chaka's furious roar. A switch flipped in Chaka's head and his vision tunneled. The second Natin, and then Kovu, blew their cover, Chaka lunged after them, his claws stabbing into the earth. The motion jarred his bones.

Coward! His back is totally exposed! My paws are aching- no, itching! I can feel his flesh giving way beneath my claws like an over-ripe fruit... I can already taste Kovu's dried blood in my fur.

Chaka crashed through the tall grass, his mane becoming flaked with broken blades. Breathing hard, his whole body flushed with anger. His heartbeat was now in his ears- one rapid thud thud thud for every step he took.

I've never sensed so much fear roll off one creature, not even from a hare! I knew this day would come! Kovu, you're mine! You're not gonna hurt my family this time! Creep, you die here! You die today! With that ragged breathing, it's only a matter of seconds before I catch you!

Then, Natin started shouting. With exaggerated leaps, Chaka gained ground on the hapless pair.

"Help! Help!"

He thinks someone is going to save them?

"Help Tswane! Tswane!" Natin roared at the top of his lungs, which was impressive considering the break-neck pace that he had set. "Tswane!"

Idiot, what're you doing?

Suddenly, when Chaka was two leaps away from Kovu, who was trying to run and make himself smaller at the same time, the criminal pair abruptly separated and took off in opposite directions.

Woah!

Chaka leaped and awkwardly bounced off Tswane's tree to avoid a disastrous collision with the sturdy form. He landed in the short, choppy grass, shaken, but more determined to catch the killer of his father. His muscles burned as he looked around for Kovu. Furious, he realized now that Kovu and Natin had split up to circle the big tree. Flattening his ears into his mane, Chaka stalked around the tree in the direction that Kovu had-

"Ooof!"

In a heartbeat, a surprise-attack headbutt to Chaka's chest winded him, the impact causing him to come to a solid stop. He sucked in a gulp of air. Recovering his wits with a rush of adrenaline and side-stepping after receiving a blow to his shoulder, Chaka rebounded and rammed his whole body, shoulder first, into his nearby attacker's flank. The dark-furred monster, blinded by his own dark mane, tripped over his paws like a drunk and yelled something, but Chaka didn't understand. Bent on getting at the growling lion's throat, Chaka raised his paw to the momentarily vulnerable target. He pressed his attack home, smacking the lion upside the head. The target sank to the grass like a rock in water.

Too easy!

Triumphantly, Chaka jumped on the stunned, pinched-faced rogue and used his forepaws to pin the lion on his back. He then lowered his head and went for Kovu's throat, scrunching his eyes tight to protect his good eye. Brutally, Chaka bit down, but opened his eye and realized he'd bitten into the foreleg that had been raised to fend off his life-ending bite.

No!

Enraged, Chaka shook his head from side to side. Flesh tore. Hot blood gushed over his fangs and spilled out at the corners of his mouth. There was screaming. Claws dug frantically into his flesh. His victim's free paw reached up and shoved hard against Chaka's chin in a struggled to stop the torture, but Chaka's jaws locked and he bared down, preparing to go for Kovu's throat again.

This is it! Push! Slash! Destroy him!

Suddenly, something hard cracked across Chaka's back and shoulders. There was a dull flash of pain, but he ignored it. In the next instant, the same hard force struck him once across his forehead, over his ear, and over the bridge of his nose. The fifth strike hit the back of his head. His sight blurred.

Wha...?

Chaka's pin and jaws loosened just enough for the lion beneath him to shove Chaka with his hind legs. Feebly, Chaka staggered to the side and fell against something hard with a grunt. His paws slid out beneath him.

The bones in his face burning, Chaka heard one muffled voice ask a question.

"I'm all right," he thought he heard a breathless Natin answer. "He was gonna kill me!"

Chaka blinked hard. His vision swam. Then, someone cast their shadow over his face. Chaka's body tensed, and he issued a low hiss in warning.

No! I'm vulnerable!

"Chaka?" The voice sounded far away, but he knew it was Tswane's. "Say something if you can hear me." The shaman gently patted a warm paw against the side of Chaka's face where he'd been hit. Thick fingers pressed into the tender flesh.

Grimacing and sniffing back the small stream of blood coming from one nostril, Chaka wasn't able to focus enough to speak. Instead, he looked for his enemies, who were sitting several lengths away from him. Kovu was helping Natin to sit up. Given how fast they'd been running, both were panting hard, but Natin alone was shuddering painfully, holding his bloodied foreleg out as if he were afraid to let his paw touch the ground.

Wait... I thought... No, I attacked Kovu... didn't I? Didn't I? How...?

Dizzy-headed, Chaka furrowed his brow and sat up. His anger and reality slowly locked in.

Tswane!

Causing the shaman to pull his paw back sharply, Chaka bellowed, "You... You were protecting them, Tswane? Why? You've got no right to interfere-!"

"No!" Tswane quickly flipped his staff so the butt end pointed at Chaka's throat.

The lion backed up against his tree, his good eye open wide.

With both paws, Tswane gripped the staff as he bared his surprisingly long fangs. "I had to interfere! Open your eyes!" Tswane sputtered, his eyes wild, "Chak- You- your temper- Did you literally forget everything you've learned so far? Really? Really? You cannot act on your first instincts!"

Chaka's lips curled back over his teeth in resentment. He spat, "I was attacked fir-!"

"In self-defense! Didn't you hear Natin calling for help?" Tswane stomped one of his hind paws, causing the decorations on his staff to clatter. "Damnit, Chaka! Just once, I wish you'd use your head! What would your mother think?"

"No! I-!"

What would his mother think of him, ruffled fur smeared in Natin's blood?

Growling in frustration, Chaka clenched his paws. His lips tightened. Insolently, he rubbed his bloody muzzle against his shoulder. No! How dare Tswane bring up his mother? Conscious of Natin and Kovu's aghast stares, he glared hard in disgust at the spot directly between himself and the shaman where the younger lion's blood had stained the grass. His breathing was still too rushed, and his throat ached. There was a sharp pain in his belly, and he closed his eyes.

I attacked Natin. Not Kovu.

Basically, if he hadn't been so angry, he could've gotten his attack right.

"Chaka, look at me when I'm talking to you!"

With some hesitation, Chaka sneered up at Tswane through his ruffled mane.

Yeah, I guess I am pretty clueless... he thought bitterly.

When the pounding of large paws hitting the ground filled Chaka's ears, he turned his head and saw Tojo skid to a stop, gasping for breath. Chaka quickly averted his eyes, but he knew Tojo was glaring at him.

"I'm old. You're not. I won't waste my breath on you..."

Tojo's words hit Chaka, making him light-headed- immediately his shocking rage went from a boil to a simmer. Dismayingly, Chaka's cheeks flushed hot.

"What damage... 's he done?"

Tswane answered Tojo. "Natin and Kovu made it to the tree. Chaka chased after Kovu, but Natin came around and he took Chaka's attack. I kept Kovu from joining the fight. I can mend Natin's shredded foreleg, and Chaka's minor wounds. Overall," Tswane said, standing up to his full height, "it could've been far worse." With this, he then carefully checked the tendrils on his staff.

While Tojo took a moment to get his breath back, Chaka's mind clouded with panic. What am I going to say? What can I say?

Tojo cleared his throat to get Chaka's attention.

Great kings... Slowly, the pridelander prince forced himself to look up at the king, who now towered over Chaka.

"You were not kidding when you told me you weren't going to make my task easy," he exclaimed, a muscle in his jaw twitching. The lion's head was erect and his mouth was set in a hard line. His eyes were dark and narrowed. "You do only act. Now what if Kovu's horde of lionesses had been hiding in the grass, too? They would've overwhelmed me- left you helpless! What if these two had led you into an ambush? You would've been at an immediate disadvantage. You could've left your pride without warning them of the danger. You could've deprived them of a leader."

Chaka took in Tojo's scolding before he could no longer look at the elder's face and switched to Tswane's, which was still equally unfriendly. Chaka wanted desperately to argue, but the words of his two mentors cluttered his thoughts. Chaka turned his head, spat out Natin's blood, and again glared down at the ground, unable to meet the eyes of neither Tojo nor Tswane.

I never fail to disappoint someone...

Chaka thought he saw Tojo's lip curl. The king then turned to address Natin and Kovu. "What's your business here? Well? Why did you run here, and not turn and face us?"

Natin answered for the both of them. "We're here to get help for Tanga and Asuma," he croaked, his face lined with pain and exhaustion. "They're lost and in immediate danger. And must I explain why we ran here?" He shot a nasty scowl at Chaka.

The look wasn't wasted on Chaka, who bared his teeth.

Tojo whipped his tail. "What danger?"

At this, Natin turned to Kovu, as if expecting his nefarious uncle to answer.

Chaka ground his teeth and growled, encouraging Kovu to speak faster.

Kovu swallowed guiltily. "My children," he began, "are in danger of being killed by a group of lionesses I gathered to take back the Pride Lands and take revenge on my family..." Kovu's shoulders slumped and he frowned at Natin. "I suppose all of you already know about them if Tojo knows."

"Yes,we know all about them." Tswane then rubbed the side of his head. "Why're the lionesses after the prince and princess?"

Look at how he lowers his ears... pathetic. What a poor way to bring about sympathy...

"It's a long story, but in short... Natin, Asuma, Tanga, and I tried to leave them behind. I made the mistake of killing their stupid leader when she got in the way, and... It is a long story."

Tojo and Tswane looked at each other, as if they didn't believe a word that the rogue had spoken.

I certainly don't...

Kovu tried to sit up straighter, but his body sunk back into a hunched pose, as if all his guilt were weighing him down. His green eyes darted from Tojo to Tswane imploringly. "Please, just give me the time to explain- but... most of all, Natin and I need help finding Tanga and Asuma. Natin's idea was to come here for help, rather than take on over a dozen, blood-thirsty lionesses alone. Could I talk to Ki-"

"She's not here," Chaka spat, his body shuddering in disgust. "Shoulda just gone after those lionesses yourself. Save me the trouble of killing you."

Kovu's eyes widened.

Was the rogue really so scandalized by what he'd said? Chaka smirked, waiting for Kovu to shoot back some stupid, barbed remark. Kovu's nature didn't allow him to take a taunt like that. And then Tojo and Tswane would see what Kovu really was.

Well...?

Chaka's disappointment grew the longer he waited. In surprise, he realized Kovu wasn't going to say anything. Everybody just stood in silence, staring at Chaka. Tojo and Tswane still wore their disapproving expressions- Tojo's was more cool, while Tswane's was more anxious.

Why isn't Kovu reacting?

He couldn't take their stares. Chaka's ears lowered and his face flushed hot again as his anger melted away and left his blood saturated with embarrassment. He dropped his gaze to his tense paws.

I acted just like they hoped I wouldn't... and I could have gotten someone beside Kovu killed! I should be used to feeling ashamed by now… but I'm not. I'm so stupid! Now Tojo's probably gonna leave! I don't understand! Does this mean there's no helping me? Am I such a monster that I'm only good at one thing? Violence?

Finally, Chaka stood up on unsteady legs with an irritated grimace. "You two believe what they're saying? Really?" he asked, looking sharply at Tswane. Scorn and disbelief stained his words. "How can you? They're known liars! He admitted to murdering someone!"

Tswane's expression grew stern. "We don't know the details, but their behavior for the time being has convinced me that there is more to hear." He then added, "They've come to my tree, where they surely knew they'd be captured, instead of running until they evaded you."

Chaka narrowed his eyes. "Who's to say Asuma and Tanga aren't already dead?"

Tswane's grip on his staff tightened. "Nobody's to say. But I remind you that when Asuma and Natin left, they promised to kill Kovu. I believed them." He then looked over at Natin. "Natin protected Kovu today. I think that says a lot." The shaman raised a brow and smirked, causing Natin to curiously turn his face away from everybody.

Chaka's scowl deepened. "Or else he's been working for Kovu this whole time, and he's just trying to gain your trust."

Tswane stared back levelly at the frustrated lion. "In that case, they should've come up with a less stupid plan."

Chaka rolled his eyes. "What do you want me to do with them, then?" The lumps on his face were beginning to swell, but his nose had stopped bleeding. "Obviously I can't execute them."

Tojo frowned and said diplomatically, "You take them prisoner, Chaka, and you allow them to explain themselves."

"We don't have time to become prisoners," Natin blurted. "Tanga and Asuma need... help..." The young lion's voice died on his tongue with one cold glare from Tojo.

"We'll do anything," Kovu said quickly.

Chaka loathed the idea of letting Kovu continue to suck in breath after breath... but somehow Tojo and Tswane thought it wiser to take Natin and Kovu alive.

But, be honest with yourself... you don't stop to think.

Tojo stood up a little straighter, but spoke in a more coaxing voice. He said, "If Natin and Kovu show us their 'true' colors, Chaka, it will be our fault for having too much faith in them." He then looked over his shoulder at the pair in question. "They will be executed on the spot."

Kovu brightened a bit. "Thanks for this chance, Toj-"

Tojo growled. "Don't. Just prove me right."

With such a gesture on Tojo's part, Chaka realized he had no choice but to choke down his pride and consent. Rolling his eyes, he spat, "Fine, I'll take them prisoner." He smirked at Kovu in particular. "I know where they can stay at Pride Rock until we find out the truth." He looked from Tojo, whose frown had disappeared, to Tswane. The shaman seemed to relax again, especially when Chaka tried to make himself look as apologetic as possible. He was cooperating, right? When Chaka tried to smile, however, both Tojo and Tswane gave him an unnerved grimace. Immediately, Chaka gave up the smile and looked away.

All right... too soon for that. Great Kings, you two better know what you're doing.

"Anythin' interestin' up there, boss?"

Standing erect with his paws dangling in front of his chest, Timon shook his head. He looked down at the young meerkat who had come to take over as sentry. "Not a thing." The aging meerkat relaxed his pose and rubbed his lower back as the cheerful new sentry climbed up onto the old, fallen, moss-and-mushroom-covered tree where Timon was perched.

"Good." The meerkat chuckled. He rubbed his paws together to clean off some bits of moisture-softened bark and dirt. "Nothin' good ever comes from anythin' interesting." He elbowed Timon in the side jokingly. "Am I right? Huh? The last thing we need are some 'interesting' snakes or leopards rampaging through here."

Timon shrugged his shoulders, unable to commit to an answer. The statement was true enough, but that was the exact reason Timon rarely agreed to sentry duty. Few tasks could make him sulk from pure boredom. He tried to laugh as he rubbed the tender spot where the youngster had elbowed him. "Ah-ha... Well, I guess I'll leave you to it then, keeping us safe from those rampaging snakes and leopards."

Released from sentry duty, Timon quickly climbed down from the stump. I wonder where Pumbaa is...

"Alright, boss, have a fantastic day!"

Life usually went smoothly in the large meerkat colony. Because they were among the oldest members of the group, both Timon and Pumbaa were often called upon to help out- some days there were a few minor things to take care of like sentry duty, while other days tasks ranged from working out disputes between bickering individuals to repairing minor damage to weak tunnels. Other days, they visited families with new kits, or joined in on discussions of safety when some predators decided to linger around too closely. Thankfully, today was shaping up to be peaceful, slow, sunny-

"Timon! Timon!"

The meerkat turned at the cry and yelped when Pumbaa knocked him to the ground.

"Timon, I remembered!" Pumbaa's large snout was stretched into a wide, giddy grin. "Timon, I'm so excited! Oooh, I remembered where that good spot was, the one I told you about with the big grubs I found a few days ago but forgot! I told you about it before, remember?"

"Yes, yes." Still on the ground, Timon patted Pumbaa's nose.

"Let's go before I forget again!" Pumbaa backed off a step and offered one of his tusks to Timon to help him stand up.

"Well, there's not much goin' on here today, buddy, so I don't see why not." Timon's joints snapped as he stroked his lower back. Pumbaa dipped down and Timon climbed his graying mane until he was perched on top of the warthog's head. "When have we had a more peaceful day than today, Pumbaa?"

"Hmmm... I don't know... Boy, I can't even remember what I did yesterday."

"You slept for most of the day. That's probably why you don't remember much."

"Oh..."

"Well," Timon went on, "we got up early to make up for it."

"Maybe I should get up earlier every day. I feel like I can remember things better."

"Hey, speaking of remembering, we should probably start heading over to that grub spot right now before you forget where it is again."

"Alright!" Pumbaa started off into the jungle, away from the slow activity of the odd meerkat colony.

After a while, Timon remarked, "You know what I've been thinkin'?"

"What?"

"In a few days, we should make a trip to the Pride Lands. I can't complain about the slow pace here, now that we're old and all... but it's sooo boring!"

"That would be nice," Pumbaa replied in a nostalgic tone. Then, a small whimpering sound chased his words. "I miss the old days..."

Timon sighed. He patted Pumbaa's head through his bristly mane. "Don't we both know it... Home seems sooo... so..."

"Devoid? Morbid? Depressing? Spoiled?"

"Nah..." Timon rolled over so he was on his back with his paws behind his head. He looked up into the green leaves above their heads. A colorful bird hopped from one branch to another before it flew away. "Home is... so..."

"Awful? Bereft?"

"No... home seems so..." Timon pulled a paw out from behind his head and waved it, rolling his wrist as he struggled to come up with the right word.

"Forsaken? Incomplete?"

"No... Pumbaa, the Pride Lands seem so... sad. Yeah, that's it!"

"Oh."

Timon rolled over again and rested his elbows in Pumbaa's mane. His small front paws supported his chin. "How're we comin' on finding that grub spot, pal?"

"Oh, I think it's just right over here, Timon," Pumbaa replied cheerily. He then headed to the right, pushing his way through a big-leafed bush. On the other side was a clearing, and the warthog twisted his head around in confusion. Pumbaa gave a small huff.

"Huh..."

Oh, geez...

"Pumbaa! This is the old spot where we used to sleep when Simba was around!" Exasperated, the meerkat leaped down from his friend's back. "You just took a different route. This isn't where the grub spot is, is it?" Timon rubbed the back of his skull. He started to rub harder with his fingers when he thought he felt a bald spot.

"No..." Pumbaa whimpered again and sat down in a slouch. "I'm sorry, Timon, I thought I had it this time..."

Timon sighed and patted him on the shoulder. "It's okay, buddy... you'll remember it someday, I know you wi-"

Pumbaa had been blocking Timon's view of their old nest in the roots of a big tree. When Timon had heard a small groan, he'd moved to get a better look. His jaw dropped when he realized there was someone big sleeping in the nest. Pumbaa looked, too, and was about to cry out when Timon pressed his paws against his snout and mouth.

"Shhh, Pumbaa... we can't run like we used to," Timon whispered. He dropped his paws from Pumbaa's snout and started creeping backwards. "If we're quiet enough, we might just make it out of this alive."

I can't tell what it is... Timon squinted at the grey-furred intruder. Whatever it was, it appeared to be fast asleep with its back to them.

"Oh, nooo... Timon?"

Timon's wide gaze darted to Pumbaa, who had stopped walking and had a scrunched up look about him.

Oh, geez!

"Don't you dare pass gas, Pumbaa," Timon hissed as calmly as he could. "At least not loudly. Think silent but deadly!"

Pumbaa whined, "I'm trying..."

At that moment, the intruder stirred and rolled over. Timon immediately knew it was a lion, and that the 'it' was a 'she'. Two, tired, unfocused green eyes peered at them.

Wait a minute...

Timon did a double take. "Tanga?" he blurted. He relaxed slightly, but was still half-prepared to bolt from the clearing, his arms out to his sides with his elbows bent.

How'd she get all the way out here?

For a fraction of a second, recognition relieved some of the tiredness on Tanga's worn face. The rims of her eyes were red, and her cheeks were smeared with grime. She opened her mouth, but her words took a backseat to the fat tears that rolled down her cheeks. Embarrassed, she hid her face in her paws.

"Oh, Tanga... Are you okay?" Pumbaa crooned. He started to stand, but immediately had to sit back down when a small, dismaying squeak sounded from his behind.

"Uh... Pumbaa, why don't you take care of your business over there," Timon said, stunned. He pointed off in some random direction. "I'll... I'll find out what happened..."

What's been goin' on in the Pride Lands since we've been gone...?

"Ugh! How long do we haveta wait?"

"They'll be back soon."

"I shoulda gone with 'em. Sitting here's boring. I feel useless!"

"Your complaining is useless!"

"Shut up!"

"Hey, I actually wanna eat. You hunt like a cub, scaring everything too soon!"

Eavesdropping on the thinned-out horde of lionesses, Asuma's muscles softened.

They're off hunting... Good. Good, they're just hunting some food... Tanga isn't in danger...

"My huntin' skills're fine!"

"You're living in a fantasy if you think they're fine! How're you still alive?"

Shifting his stiff limbs with a groan, Asuma struggled to tune out the lionesses's stupid babbling. He'd opened his eyes when the sun had risen, and had lazily gazed down at his restless captors, only to discover, to his horror, that some were missing. It was bad enough that images of them attacking Tanga had haunted him the entire night, mingled in with the face of the old rogue, the broken body of Natin, and the cowering cub form of Kovu. He had draped his heavy body over a thicker branch in the acacia tree once he had realized the lionesses were not going to climb up and attack him. His belly and ribs hurt from resting along the hard, nobby branch. His superficial, itchy, scratches had crusted over, but the large wounds, like the ones on his back, were still oozing- streams of blood streaked his sore ribs and hips. Big, black flies buzzed around his head and darted at his eyes and nose. He only had the strength to blink them away, and he cringed as their little feet scampered over his eyelids and the bridge of his nose. Feverish and sleep-deprived, he had tried to rest. If he was going to hold on, he couldn't afford to do much else. Why hadn't he bothered to at least take a bite of the hare that Tanga had brought him? He couldn't blink away the sight of its sad body disappearing into the river.

Oh... the river...

A chill coursed through his body. At all costs, he had to avoid looking at the river... thinking about it... imagining the cool water coating his tongue and pooling over his teeth before slipping down his scorched throat... He could hardly stand hearing and smelling it on the faint breeze. Occasionally, a lioness would disappear and return with her muzzle wet. He knew, as the day progressed and the heat rose, that his situation would only grow more dire. The leaves shading him provided the greatest relief- the downside was that the tree itself shaded the lionesses, too.

"Hey, yo, smelly!" one of the lionesses suddenly catcalled. "Don't piss on us anymore today, will ya?" Laughter and remarks that he better hold his other forms of waste ensued.

Asuma's face flushed with anger and humiliation. He had tried to hold it, but had failed. He hoped they choked on their laughter.

He knew he had very little right to complain. Through nobody's decisions but his own, he was in that tree. He'd climbed the tree instead of letting the lionesses kill him. The irony of his situation almost brought him to laughter and tears. He wasn't stuck in a hole, but he was still just as stranded as the decrepit, crotchedy lion he'd left behind. Unless someone came to save him, his only escape was death.

Not to mention that that lion was somehow sent by your ancestors to test how pathetic you are. What kind of beings do something like that? What kind of beings let Kovu intrude upon my dreams? Were they trying to trick me into being good? Don't they understand what I need to do most?

There was no mistaking that Asuma's poor, beaten soul was sick. Pinpointing the exact moment when its condition had first started to deteriorate was useless. He could guess, but he would probably be wrong. There were too many moments, he thought, and that didn't even account for the original condition it had been in when he'd been born. He only wished he hadn't been so quick to seize upon his own misfortunes, and that he'd been stronger about brushing off his misfortunes and moving on. Others seemed to do it just fine...

Well, maybe with the exception of Chaka and Kovu...

Instead, he had desperately and spitefully held onto every painful memory, for fear of repeating the same mistakes over and over again. Gloom and surliness seemed to cling to his heart, feeding off and growing on his bad, bitter blood, nursing like some mutant cub. Unfalteringly, he knew who he was now.

I'm no king...

What really made his stomach clench was remembering the last, hurt, suspicious expression he'd seen on Tanga's face before she had turned to run away. There had been no other way to make her leave, and the worst part was that she hadn't really left on her own freewill as she had wished. He wondered how long she'd been questioning his sanity- he guessed shortly after he and Natin had let her in on their plan of murder.

It would've only been natural. I've questioned my sanity for much longer than that.

Asuma rested his chin over the foreleg he had resting along the branch. His reckless thoughts began to try and come up with something to comfort him, anything at all... He wouldn't make it much longer if he kept torturing himself. He didn't need another reason to jump from the tree. He started to think back to when he'd had no doubts, had had no reason to believe that anybody meant him harm, and before he had learned that the ability to cause pain and destruction was more powerful than any gesture of kindness...

"Tanga, what's out there?"

His sister lifted her head, looked back at him, and grinned. This grin had already been established as her 'mischievous' grin. She'd been sniffing the stone outside their den at Pride Rock before she'd spotted something, toddled closer, and had crouched down over it. That early in the morning, everybody else was still sleeping soundly.

"Shush, Asuma," Tanga replied in a loud whisper. "C'mere, look what I found!"

Asuma furrowed his brow and sat up. He'd been resting with his head against their mother's warm face. She gave a deep sigh, but didn't wake up as he carefully stood up and tip-toed over to Tanga.

"Cool, huh?" Tanga murmured, her body blocking what she was batting at. She jumped back, but then crept forward again in curiosity.

Cocking his head to the side, Asuma laid eyes on a strange, caramel-colored... thing. He'd wanted to call it a bug, but it didn't look like any bug he'd ever seen. "What's that?"

"I dunno, but it's fun." Tanga teased it again with her paw. "Look at its tail! It's so silly!"

Asuma giggled. Why would a creature try to defend itself with its tail? He batted at it, too, and jumped back when the creature lunged. That's when he noticed that its chunky front legs were actually claws- it pinched at the air above their paws. Its bony tail flicked towards them again. "Do you think Timon and Pumbaa eat these things?" he asked.

Tanga shrugged. "I dunno. Hey, stay here," Tanga piped. "I wanna show that thing to Natin!"

"Okay," Asuma said, lowering his ears. He felt a little jealous since Natin always had to be included. "He'll think it's cool," he added.

Tanga beamed and darted back for the den. Asuma followed her with his eyes.

Asuma turned his attention back to the creature and jumped out of the way as it flipped its tail at one of his paws. He didn't know what the creature was doing, but he had a strange feeling that he shouldn't let the tail touch him. Asuma circled the creature several times, watching as the creature turned its body to follow him.

Behind Asuma, he'd heard paw steps, and had assumed Tanga was returning with Natin. Kovu's voice instead called to him.

"Asuma, what are you doing?"

"Dad, look! We found this thing!" Asuma turned around and saw his father staring intently at the creature as it crawled over the stony ground. Behind his father, Tanga and Natin were just emerging from the den. They paused at the entrance, looking confused.

"What is it? Do you kn- ahhh!"

Kovu lunged forward towards Asuma, who stumbled backwards and yelped. Kovu clapped his paw hard over the creature, and then twisted his paw back and forth. When he lifted his paw, a juicy, brown, twitching puddle had replaced the creature. Kovu then smeared this sticky mess on his paw pads onto the stone where the creature had been walking.

Asuma's mouth dropped open in horror. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the dead creature.

"Asuma, that was a scorpion. They can kill someone like you."

"A scorpion?" Asuma looked up, wide-eyed. The stern expression on Kovu's face caused his eyes to mist. His face warmed. Am I in trouble? he thought.

"If you ever see one again," his father told him sharply, "get away from it." He frowned. "Did it sting you? Scorpions are poisonous."

"What?" he squeaked. Asuma's neck ached from having to look up at his father. "No, it-it didn't, Dad!"

Kovu's frown melted slightly. "Are you sure, Asuma? Did it sting Tanga?"

"No! It-it didn't!"

Before Asuma could brace himself, his father sat down, wrapped Asuma up in his paws, and roughly nuzzled his son's much smaller head. "Good, I'm glad you're safe... You scared me."

With a jolt, Asuma opened his dry, stinging eyes, and realized that they were trying to produce tears his body didn't have. Either way, he knew tears would only attract more flies to his face. The ones crawling over his wounds were bad enough, and he could only imagine what they were doing. He shivered, shoving the memory away.

Why ever did I pick that memory?

When he unwittingly glanced down, he suppressed a groan. The lionesses had returned from hunting and were loudly gulping down the meat from a gazelle they'd caught. He could smell the fresh blood over the stale blood on his own body, and he started to salivate.

Stop looking at that! You're making things worse on yourself.

Below, two of the lionesses guessed that he was looking at them, and a snicker ran though the group. They weren't going to make this easy on him one bit.

Asuma closed his eyes again.

Why would they be obligated to?

"How far now?"

"Not too far, I think."

While Bron flew overhead to take in the scenery, Kiara and Kenyi loitered just outside of the jungle oasis. The midday sun shone off of sleek green leaves and small white flowers. A couple of blue butterflies ventured into the dry heat of the desert before retreating back into the humid jungle. Merely standing outside of the oasis was a relief for the travelers.

I hope Timon and Pumbaa will be able to deal with the heat all right.

Kiara shifted on her raw paws. "There's a big meerkat colony here, and they'll be looking for predators." She wriggled her toes to free the sand between them, and sighed when she had little success.

Just after the young lion gave a small nod of recognition, Bron reappeared and landed on his prince's head.

"The jungle's too dense f'me t'see much. Sorry."

Kiara pursed her mouth, unsurprised. "That's okay, it's nothing we can't deal with." She nodded to Kenyi. "C'mon."

She led the scouting party into the jungle. Fallen sticks cracked beneath her paws while she brushed past leafy fronds, making the leaves jostle and spring back into place with a muffled clatter. Drops of water from the leaves deposited on her fur.

"Shouldn't we be quieter?"

She glanced back over her shoulder. "Well, a silent predator is more threatening than a noisy one," she explained, "right?"

"I suppose."

The deeper they traveled, the harder Kiara tried to concentrate. She tried to scan the soft ground for small tracks while she flared her nostrils to try catching the scent of a large group of small animals. At one point, she smiled when one bird trilled a quick tune overhead that was soon transformed into a pleasant song by a few more birds.

"That's ratha lovely," Bron remarked.

"Yes, it is." Kiara hesitated mid-step for a moment to enjoy the music, but then realized, unfortunately, that she couldn't hear over the song of the birds and other creatures who had joined in. Her smile was reduced to an irritated frown.

"Do you know where they are at all?" Kenyi probed with an insolent tone.

Kiara furrowed her brow and turned to Kenyi, frowning disapprovingly. "Kenyi, we haven't been here that long. Be patient." Hearing how hoarse her voice sounded, she cleared her throat. "Are you thirsty?"

Kenyi's surly, tired expression relaxed a bit. "Yes."

They hadn't gone more than a few lengths before they found a large puddle at the base of a tree. Lapping up the tepid water, Kiara watched as Bron hopped down from Kenyi's head and sipped from the surface. Once the two lions had finished, Bron splashed in the water for a moment to clean his feathers.

Kiara licked her muzzle dry. I'm afraid all we are doing is nothing but getting ourselves lo-

"Predators! Pred-a-tors!"

Kiara head snapped up, her chin pointing towards the leaf canopy. She thought she saw one or two small, brown flashes jump through the branches overhead.

"Lions lions lions lions! Predators!"

Bron huffed. "M'thinks they've been sufficiently warned."

Kiara sighed. "They're warning their village, or whatever you wanna call it. They can't be far away, then."

Thank goodness...

They traveled carefully through the bushes and around trees. Soon enough, they found an empty clearing littered with small holes. Kiara held out a foreleg to bar Kenyi from walking any further. She didn't want to damage any of the carefully crafted tunnels that were beneath the shorn grass of the jungle clearing.

"Bron," Kiara said quietly, "do you think you can find someone to talk to and tell them that Queen Kiara of the Pride Lands wants to talk to Timon or Pumbaa?"

"I will try m'best." The bird lightly dropped from Kenyi's head and hopped across the perforated ground, zig-zagging between the holes. He dipped his head into several holes, calling out for assistance. After about ten holes, a small brown head popped up out of one of the holes and spoke with Bron for a moment. Satisfied by what the bird had to say, the meerkat disappeared for a moment before he crawled out of the hole and turned to Kiara and Kenyi. Several other meerkats appeared and analyzed the situation to decide if it was safe to return above ground or not. Bron then came fluttering back just as half a dozen meerkats dashed off into the jungle, splitting up into two groups.

"He says th'two went off earlier t'gether, but haven't r'turned, miss. They're goin' after 'em."

"They must just be off hunting or something." It was no surprise, considering how Timon and Pumbaa had been outcasts for much of their lives. Kiara noticed how the meerkats stuck close to their tunnels and shot irritated glances at her and Kenyi. Undoubtedly, her father's surrogate parents' ability to transcend the line between prey and predator did not go unnoticed.

"Why are there meerkats here? In a jungle?" Kenyi asked.

Kiara sat down and tried to smile kindly, not wanting her exhaustion to get the better of her. "It's a long story... probably for another day, I'm sorry."

Kenyi shrugged. At the edge of the clearing, there was a burst of activity that caught his attention, and Kiara turned her head. The six meerkats had returned, between them was a grey-furred meerkat, who then hurriedly crossed the clearing towards Kiara. Two of the younger meerkats followed behind Timon.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here, Kiara!" Timon gushed as he bent over to catch his breath, his paws on his knees. "Tanga's here, and- wait, why are you here? Did something bad happened at Pride-"

Kiara gasped, wide-eyed. "My daughter's here? Where?" She jumped to her paws, never imagining her luck to have this happen. She would tell Timon later why she had come to the oasis. "Show me where she is, Timon! Is she safe? She ran away from home with Asuma and Natin!"

"Calm down a moment." Timon raised a confused brow in alarm and held up his paws while the other two meerkats back-stepped rapidly. "I think the kid's been through a-"

"Timon!" Kiara's muscles buzzed with energy. "Take me to her."

He hasn't said a word about Asuma... Did Tanga tell him about Natin or Kovu?

Kiara's throat tightened. "Take me to her now!"

Timon's eyes widened. "All right, c'mon, she's this way. We don't really know what she's been up to," Timon remarked as he started to skirt the clearing, "but you've gotta know why... Don'tcha?"

"No... I don't know much..." Kiara relented sadly as she followed Timon. The two younger meerkats tried to follow, too, but Timon took a moment to tell them to stay behind at the settlement. Timon took off again as quickly as he could. In her mind, Kiara urged him to run faster, but at the same time, she knew she had to prepare herself for the worst.

Where is Asuma? Natin? Kovu? Are they dead? Is Tanga hurt? Did the mission succeed? Did it fail? What has she seen? I wish they hadn't run away! Why didn't Natin just tell us everything instead of lying?!

By the time Kiara entered the clearing where Pumbaa was sitting beside the tree root nest that held Tanga, she'd asked herself those questions a hundred times. She quickly saw that her young, fragile looking daughter had been crying. Instantly, Kiara's heart melted and she wanted to move forward- but something stopped her at the edge of the clearing. A wall might as well have erected itself in front of her.

Tanga met her mother's eyes, and relief did not fill them. She didn't cry out for her mother, or rush over to her like she'd done when Natin had wrestled too rough with her as a young cub. Far from it. No, Tanga remained where she was as the sadness in her green eyes was replaced by anger and betrayal. Kiara was so sure of it that it make her sick to her stomach. To her horror, she recognized it as the same look she'd seen in Kovu's eyes years back.

I can't be here right now... something is deeply wrong... and it's all my fault...

Timon didn't seem to take notice. Why should he? "Pumbaa," he panted, "and I tried to feed her... but..."

Frozen, Kiara couldn't turn her eyes away from Tanga even when the young lioness averted her green eyes and began to study Kenyi with a more familiar curiosity. Absently, Kiara remarked, "Lions don't eat bugs." She then turned to Kenyi, who stood next to her. "Could you look her over while I hunt something for her?"

I can't be here right now!

"Uh... okay?" Kenyi blinked, slightly confused. "I've only picked up a thing or two from my-"

Kiara turned on her heels and plunged noisily back into the bushes, not waiting for him to commit to the task.

Her face burned with embarrassment. She was furious with herself for running away like a coward.

But I can't be there for her right now, and clearly she didn't want me there, either.

A sob choked her as she continued to run.

Chaka was right... I should have told them both the truth...

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I was doing good getting updates to you every month for a while there, but I struggled the most with Chaka's section, since it's a turning point for him for the most part. It's easier to write him in action from the POV of others than it is from his own POV. :) I'd say updates are going to get better from here, but I have lots of homework and I'm taking courses this summer. :B On the other hand, I'm estimating that this story will run to 44 or 45 chapters.